Synthesis of diastereomerically and enantiomerically pure 2,3-disubstituted tetrahydrofurans using a sulfoxonium ylide

Nucleophilic substitution reactions of 2,3-epoxy alcohols, easily prepared via Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation chemistry, offer access to a wide variety of enantiomerically pure compounds. In this communication, we describe the use of a Payne rearrangement to control regioselectivity in the ring-opening of a series of 2,3-epoxy alcohols with dimethylsulfoxonium methylide to yield diastereomerically and/or enantiomerically pure disubstituted tetrahydrofuran rings. The factors influencing the success and substitution pattern of the THF ring products are discussed, including steric, electronic, and solvent effects.     

Solution- and solid-phase synthesis of 4-hydroxy-4,5-dihydroisoxazole derivatives from enantiomerically pure N-tosyl-2,3-aziridine alcohols

[reaction: see text] Enantiomerically pure N-tosyl-2,3-aziridine alcohols are directly converted into 4-hydroxy-4,5-dihydroisoxazole 2-oxides through oxidation to the corresponding aldehydes followed by in situ tandem nitroaldol-intramolecular cyclization. This study was concerned with (i) the selection of a suitable aziridine activation, (ii) the preparation of the target 4-hydroxy-4,5-dihydroisoxazole derivatives in solution, and (iii) the elaboration of a solid-phase process using hydroxy Merrifield-supported nitroacetic acid ester.     

Piperidines from acid-catalysed cyclisations: Pitfalls,solutions and a new ring contraction to pyrrolidines

The success of acid-catalysed cyclisations of alka-4-enylamine derivatives to piperidines depends very much on the nature of the amine protecting group: while carbamates and related amides can usually be readily and cleanly transformed, the corresponding sulfonamides react further by ring contraction leading to pyrrolidines, especially when such substrates are sterically crowded.     

New stereoselective synthesis of thiamphenicol and florfenicol from enantiomerically pure cyanohydrin: a chemo-enzymatic approach

Thiamphenicol and florfenicol have been synthesized stereoselectively from enantiomerically pure 4-methylsulfanyl-mandelonitrile, which was obtained by hydrocyanation reaction of 4-methylsulfanyl-benzaldehyde catalyzed by (R)-hydroxynitrile lyase of Badamu (Prunus communis L. var. dulcis Borkh, almond from Xinjiang, China). It was found to be a highly effective bio-catalyst for this reaction after an extensive screening.     

A method for synthesis of bicyclo[3.3.0]oct-1-en-3-ones from cyclobutanones with one-carbon ring expansion and its application to a formal synthesis of racemic 1-desoxyhypnophilin

A method for synthesis of 2-cyanobicyclo[3.3.0]oct-1-en-3-ones and 2-substituted bicyclo[3.3.0]oct-1-en-3-ones was developed by assembly of three components, cyclobutanones, chloromethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide, and nitriles, with one-carbon ring expansion of the cyclobutane ring. As an application of this method, a formal synthesis of 1-desoxyhypnophilin in racemic form was performed starting from 3,3-di(phenylthiomethyl)cyclobutanone.     

Controlling stereoselectivity by enzymatic and chemical means to access enantiomerically pure (1S,3R)-1-benzyl-2,3-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives

A chemoenzymatic strategy for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure novel alkaloids (1S,3R)-1-benzyl-2,3-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines is presented. The key steps are the biocatalytic stereoselective reductive amination of substituted 1-phenylpropan-2-one derivatives to yield chiral amines employing microbial ω-transaminases, and the diastereoselective reduction of a Bischler–Napieralski imine intermediate by catalytic hydrogenation in the presence of palladium on charcoal, leading exclusively to the desired cis-isomer.     

Generation and cycloaddition of polymer-supported azomethine ylide by utilizing the characteristics of silicon: a facile route to pyrrolidines and pyrroles from α-silylimines bound to resin

The solid-phase synthesis of pyrrolidine and pyrrole derivatives using polymer-supported α-silylimines is described. Polymer-supported azomethine ylides were generated from the corresponding α-silylimine by thermal 1,2-silatropy onto the imino nitrogen or by treatment with a trifluorosilane as a quaternization and desilylation reagent, and the resulting species were then reacted with dipolarophiles to give five-membered heterocycles.     

Tandem enantioselective organo- and biocatalysis: a direct entry for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure aldols

Direct proline-catalyzed aldol reactions were linked in sequence with lipase-catalyzed kinetic resolutions to afford enantiomerically pure (>99% ee) aldol adducts in higher conversion than a standard resolution of racemic materials. The combination of organocatalytic aldol reactions and enzymatic kinetic resolutions provided exclusively either the (R)- or (S)-enantiomer of the aldol adducts even though an (R)-selective lipase catalyzed the kinetic resolutions. Furthermore, the one-pot tandem reactions are inexpensive, are operationally simple, circumvents the use of organic solvent and are environmentally benign.     

A new synthetic approach to enantiomerically enriched dihydrobenzofurans: use of a hydrolytic kinetic resolution and an intramolecular epoxide ring opening protocol using 1-benzyloxy-2-oxiranylmethylbenzenes

A novel approach towards the preparation of racemic 1-benzyloxy-2-oxiranylmethylbenzenes using dimethyldioxirane and their hydrolytic kinetic resolution using (R,R)(Salen)Co(III)(OAc) (Jacobsen’s catalyst) to afford the (R)-epoxides and (S)-1,2-diols, enantioselectively, is described. The (R)-1-benzyloxy-2-oxiranylmethylbenzenes were then cyclized via an intramolecular epoxide opening reaction to give (S)-2-hydroxymethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzofurans.     

Asymmetric Alkylations of a Sultam-Derived Glycine Equivalent: Practical preparation of enantiomerically pure α-amino acids

Alkylation of the chiral glycine derivative 2 with “activated” organohalides under ultrasound-assisted phasetransfer catalysis or with activated and nonactivated organohalides in anhydrous medium provides (mostly crystalline) alkylation products 3 . Acidic hydrolysis of the pure products 3 gives (aminoacyl)sultams 4 which by mild saponification furnish pure α-amino acids 5 in good overall yields from 2 , along with recovered auxiliary 1 (Scheme 1). Pure ω-protected α,ω-diamino acids and α-amino-ω-(hydroxyamino)acids 12–16 are readily accessible from (ω-haloacyl)sultams 3 via reaction with N-nucleophiles followed by acidic and basic hydrolyses (Scheme 2). A reliable determination of the enantiomeric purity of α-amino acids using HPLC analysis of their N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)prolyl derivatives 17 is presented.     

Enzymes in organic synthesis-29 : Preparations of enantiomerically pure cis -2,3- and 2,4-dimethyl lactones via horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase-catalyzed oxidations

Further examples of the broad applicability of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase-catalyzed oxidations of meso-diols as a route to chiral lactones of asymmetric synthetic value are described. The acyclic meso substrates, cis-2,3-dimethyl- and -diethylbutane-l,4-diols, and cis-2,4-dimethylpentane-l,5diol, are stereospecifically oxidized in good yields to the corresponding enantiomerically pure γ- and δ-lactones. The oxidation of cis-3,4-bis(hydroxymethyl)thiacyclopentane is similarly stereospecific. For each meso-diol the oxidation takes place with a net stereospecificity for the hydroxymethyl groups attached to the S-enters, with the initially formed hydroxyaldehydes undergoing further enzymecatalyzed oxidations via their hemiacetal forms to produce lactone products directly.     

Efficient synthesis of enantiomerically pure 2-acylaziridines: Facile syntheses of N-Boc-safingol, N-Boc-D-erythro-sphinganine, and N-Boc-spisulosine from a common intermediate

Various enantiomerically pure 2-acylaziridines were prepared efficiently from the corresponding aziridine-2-carboxylate via Weinreb's amide and the subsequent treatment of organometallic compounds. The carbonyl group of those 2-acylaziridines was stereoselectively reduced by NaBH4in the presence of ZnCl2 to give erythro-1,2-amino alcohols with high diastereoselectivities and chemical yields. Using this methodology, we prepared (1R,2S)-N-Boc-norephedrine 5, N-Boc-safingol 8, N-Boc-D-erythro-sphinganine 9, and N-Boc-spisulosine 10 in high yields.     

Aziridinium from N,N-dibenzyl serine methyl ester: synthesis of enantiomerically pure beta-amino and alpha,beta-diamino esters

[reaction: see text] Reaction of N,N-dibenzyl-O-methylsulfonyl serine methyl ester with a variety of heteronucleophiles (sodium azide, sodium phthalimide, amines, thiols) and carbanions (sodium malonate) gave, via an aziridinium intermediate, the corresponding beta-amino or alpha,beta-diamino ester in good to excellent yield. A short synthesis of orthogonally protected and enantiomerically pure 2,3-diamino propionate (Dap) is described.     

W(CO)5]-catalyzed endo- or exo-cycloisomerization reactions of 1,1-disubstituted 4-pentyn-1-ols: experimental and theoretical studies

The [W(CO)5]-catalyzed cycloisomerization reaction of 1,1-disubstituted 4-pentyn-1-ol derivatives has been studied from both, an experimental and theoretical point of view. Three different catalytic systems have been evaluated {preformed [(thf)W(CO)5], [W(CO)6]/excess Et3N, and [W(CO)6]/2 mol % Et3N]. We have found that the reaction proceeds to give the formal endo- or exo-cycloisomerization products depending on the amount of Et3N used and on the substitution along the alkyl chain of the starting alkynol. The theoretical study allowed us to find the mechanisms of the reactions which explain the formation of the formal endo- or exo-cycloisomerization products.     

Synthesis of enantiomerically pure (S)-mandelic acid using an oxynitrilase–nitrilase bienzymatic cascade: a nitrilase surprisingly shows nitrile hydratase activity

Benzaldehyde was converted into enantiomerically pure (S)-mandelic acid by sequential HCN addition and hydrolysis in the presence of a cross-linked enzyme aggregate composed of the (S)-selective oxynitrilase from Manihot esculenta and the non-selective recombinant nitrilase from Pseudomonas fluorescens EBC 191. Surprisingly, (S)-mandelic amide was formed in large amounts. It was shown, in separate experiments, that the nitrilase hydrolyses (S)-mandelonitrile into an approx. equimolar mixture of acid and amide, whereas with the (R)-enantiomer only 10% of amide was formed.     

Ring-opening and a novel ring expansion in the reactions of 1-Alkyl-2-carbomethoxyazetidine with hydrazine

The mechanism of the reactions of 1-t-butyl-2-carbomethoxyazelidine and 1-benzyl-2-carbomethoxyazetidine with hydrazine hydrate was investigated. Treatment of 1-alkyl-2-earbomethoxyazetidine with hydrazine hydrate in cold ethanol yielded 1-alkylazetidine-2-carhohydrazide. Depending on the sterie bulkiness of the alkyl group of the amino functionality, reactions of 1-alkylazetidine-2-carbohydrazides in methanol gave the appropriate aminoester or the appropriate pyrrolidone, or a mixture of both. The intermediacy of the diimide in these transformations was confirmed by the concurrent reduction of azobenzene to hydrazobenzene.     

Chiral self-assembly of enantiomerically pure (4S,7R)-campho[2,3-c]pyrazole in the solid state: a vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) and computational study

NH-Indazoles in solid phase usually form NH⋯N hydrogen bonds between positions 1 and 2, which determine the secondary structure, forming dimers, trimers, or catemers (chains). Thus, the difficulty of the experimental analysis of the structure of the family of 1H-indazoles is clear. We have outlined a complete strategy by using different techniques of vibrational spectroscopy that are sensitive (VCD) and not sensitive (IR, FarIR, and Raman) to the chirality together with quantum chemical calculations. We have studied the chiral structure of (4S,7R)-campho[2,3-c]pyrazole both in solution (CCl₄) and in the solid phase (crystal). This compound crystallizes as a chiral trimer (LABHEB), with the monomer also being chiral. Herein, Far-IR, IR, and Raman spectra in solution and in the solid state are assigned using the support of B3LYP/6-31G(d) and B97D/6-31+G(d,p) calculations of (4S,7R)-campho[2,3-c]pyrazole monomers, dimers, and trimers, these last cyclamers being partially and fully optimized. Later, analysis of the vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra allowed us to determine the chiral self-assembly of (4S,7R)-campho[2,3-c]pyrazole crystals (LABHEB). In the crystal, only the trimers are present while in solution, the monomer predominates. We have highlighted the importance of the analysis of the low frequency region (700–25 cm⁻¹) in the FT-Raman and Far-IR spectra, because it provides relevant information in order to confirm the presence of the trimers in the solid phase.     

Iodine(III)-promoted ring expansion of 1-vinylcycloalkanol derivatives: a metal-free approach toward seven-membered rings

A versatile and metal-free approach for the synthesis of molecules bearing seven- and eight-membered rings is described. The strategy is based on the ring expansion of 1-vinylcycloalkanols (or the corresponding silyl or methyl ether) mediated by the hypervalent iodine reagent HTIB (PhI(OH)OTs). The reaction condition can be easily adjusted to give seven-membered rings bearing different functional groups. A route to medium-ring lactones was also developed.     

Asymmetric induction in the 1,7 ring closure of diene-conjugated diazo-compounds: a route to chiral 1h-2,3-benzodiazepines

In the cyclisation of the diazo-compound (7) to give the diastereomeric pair of 1H-2,3-benzodiazepines (8) and (9), alkoxy groups, when present as the medium sized group M, show the opposite effect in promoting face selectivity to that of alkyl groups and the alkoxide ion. Thus when MOMe the (8): (9) ratio is 92:8 while in contrast when MO⁻ the ratio is 15:85.